- Interpretation Of Quran / The long version
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- (002) Al Bakara
The real believer asks about the Islamic rulings on everything
Dear brother, this is the 77th lesson of Surat Al-Baqarah which is about the Ayah number 222 in which Allah the Almighty says:
"They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore keep away from women during menses and go not unto them till they have purified (from menses and have taken a bath). And when they have purified themselves, then go in unto them as Allah has ordained for you (go in unto them in any manner as long as it is in their vagina). Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves (by taking a bath and cleaning and washing thoroughly their private parts, bodies, for their prayers, etc.)."
Let's ponder over the phrase "they ask you": if you want to know Allah the Almighty and to get closer to Him, you should know that nothing will bring you closer to Him except the acts of obedience to Him, and in order to obey Him properly you should first know His Orders and Prohibitions. Obedience means adhering to orders and prohibitions. Hence, the real believer always asks Islamic Scholars, and he finds no rest until he knows the Islamic ruling on every issue of his life; on earning money, spending it, rejoicing, grieving, relationships, lawful entertainment, expressing his grief, travels, residence, marriage, divorce and on all other matters in his life. Thus, what marks the real believer is his constant inquiries; he always asks about the Islamic ruling on everything.. Allah the Almighty says:
"So ask of those who know the Scripture [learned men of the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)], if you know not."
Who are those who know the Scripture? They are those who have acquired their knowledge from the Revelation (nowadays those who acquired knowledge from the Noble Qur'an and the Noble Sunnah ). There is worldly knowledge which is based on man-made laws, and there are facts which were revealed to us from the Creator of mankind. Allah the Almighty says:
"So ask of those who know the Scripture [learned men of the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)],"
Should you care for the Words of the All-Aware or those of the unaware? The Revelation is the Words of the All-Aware while people's words are those of the unaware. There are millions of false statements, regarding various subjects, which have no basis in reality or in Islam. Your job is to search for Allah's Orders and Prohibitions, the Islamic ruling, and what was sent through the Revelation concerning every subject. Allah the Almighty says:
"They ask you…"
Thus, after you get to know Allah the Almighty, you should inquire about what pleases Him, what displeases Him, what brings you closer to Him, what keeps you away from Him, what brings you happiness and what makes you live in misery. Actually, the sole truth in this universe is Allah the Almighty (None is worth to be worshipped except Allah).
Asking questions is the key to acquire knowledge
Getting closer to Allah the Almighty is the utter goodness, while being away from Him is the utter evil, so the thing which brings you closer to Allah is the truth, while the thing which keeps you away from Him is the falsehood.
Once I delivered an Islamic lecture in a meeting, then I asked the attendees whether they had any question, but no one raised a question. I told them that having no question indicated that they were either convinced of my discussion or absent-minded in the lecture. When you listen to something which you are convinced of, you have no question about, and when the issue which is discussed does not matter you, you also have no question about. Hence, the real believer who glorifies Allah the Almighty, who hopes in His Mercy and fears His Punishment should always inquire about His Orders and Prohibitions. I support my argument with the following Noble Ayah:
"They ask you"
Thus, the sign of the real believer is questioning about the Islamic ruling on everything.
"So ask of those who know the Scripture [learned men of the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)], if you know not."
Asking questions is the key to acquire knowledge, and it is said: "Whoever consults sh3er profits from their experiences." When you ask sh3er politely, you can benefit from a 50-year experience concerning any matter. Therefore, do not be too shy to ask questions. There are two groups of people who never learn: the shy and the arrogant. Allah the Almighty ordered you to ask the knowledgeable, and presented to you the example of Prophet Musa, one of the Noble Prophets of strong will. When he met Al-Khidr, he asked him:
"May I follow you so that you teach me something of that knowledge (guidance and true path) which you have been taught (by Allah)?"
Some Islamic rulings on menstruation
Dear brother, there are too many Islamic subjects which you can inquire about, some of which are related to private issues, while sh3er have to do with too broad ones. For instance, there are subjects related to the international level such as, the international relations, war, peace and so on, and there are subjects which deal with fairly private matters. All these kind of subjects are important to ask about, because violating the Islamic ruling on them keeps you away from Allah the Almighty.Let's ponder over the following critical matter:
According to very deep wisdom, Allah the Almighty made women a tillage for men, i.e. to have babies. Allah the Almighty says:
"And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. "
Some Scholars of the interpretation of the Noble Qur'an said that the affection and mercy which are put between spouses are a reference to having children. Allah the Almighty created an ovary inside the woman's body, and this ovary has a limited number of eggs. Consider the wisdom of having a limited number of eggs: if the ovary had unlimited number of eggs, women would get pregnant at the age of 80 or even 100 which is unbearable for them. Thus, out of very deep wisdom, man remains fertile into his 90s, while the woman's ovary has limited number of eggs.
When a single sperm meets the egg, that sperm fertilizes it, and the woman gets pregnant, but when there is no sperm to fertilize the egg, the woman has her monthly period. As the released egg travels to the uterus, the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) makes great preparation to the fertilized egg, but if that egg is unfertilized, all these preparations become fruitless, and a blood layer from the endometrium will be removed which causes menstruation. Thus, when the egg, which woman's ovary releases monthly, is not fertilized, the woman has her monthly period, but when she gets pregnant, she stops having her menstrual cycle.
Since the egg is not fertilized, woman bleeds from her reproductive system, and this blood is the menstrual one. According to the wisdom-based Shari'ah, as long as women suffer from physical weakness when they lose blood, they are exempt from offering prayers or fasting during the days of the monthly period. They are not ordered to compensate for the missed prayers during the days of menstruation, but they should make up for the missed fasting days. These are some Islamic rulings on menstruation.
The Muslim who adheres to Islam is pure
Consider the following critical point: the sexual intercourse between spouses during menstruation is quite harmful because of the period blood. In fact, blood, as you all know, is an optimum environment for germinating bacteria; if we want to germinate a germ, we put it in blood. As long as blood flows inside human body, it remains pure, but once it flows out of the body it becomes a good environment for germinating bacteria. Therefore, the woman's reproductive system during the days of menstruation is a focal point of bacteria. When man has sexual intercourse with his wife during this time, this will cause harm for them both, as the uterus may be in a case of severe agitation or in a case of turning, which may cause infections to the husband. Allah the Almighty, the All-Aware, the Creator, and none can inform you (O Muhammad PBUH) like Him Who is the All-Knower (of each and everything), says:
"Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses),"
It is a harmful thing for husbands and wives to have sexual relation during menstruation. In Arabic, using the indefinite article (an) before "Adah" indicates inclusiveness and generalization (it includes all kinds of harm).
"They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses)"
It is a harmful thing for you..
"therefore keep away from women during menses"
Dear brother, a doctor told me that there are 300 million people in the world suffer from diseases caused by uncleanness. On the other hand, there is no such cases in the Muslim world, simply because Islam is the religion of cleanliness, We make ablution five times a day, we clean ourselves effectively after defecating according to the teachings of our religion, we never have sexual intercourse during menstruation and we perform circumcision. Therefore, performing circumcision, refraining from having sexual relation during menstruation and cleansing ourselves perfectly after defecating help us enjoy healthy life. About 300 million people suffer from diseases caused by uncleanness, according to the statistics of the WHO, while the Muslim world is considered free from such diseases, because the Muslim follows the rulings of his religion, which makes him enjoy inclusive inner and outer purity.
Adhering to the teachings of Islam saves us from many diseases:
Allah the Almighty says:
"Therefore keep away from women during menses"
Jews go beyond reasonable limits; when their women get their monthly period, they never eat with them, nor do they get closer to them. They keep them isolated from them as if they are something dirty, while Islam is a moderate religion, between the non-Muslims who have sexual relations during menstruation, and the Jews who ostracize their wives when they have their menstrual periods and never eat with them. Islam adopts a moderate attitude between the two cases; a Muslim lives with his wife when she has her monthly period, he eats from the food she cooks, and he treats her with great kindness, but he does not have sexual relation with her during menstruation. Actually, the word 'Mahid' (menstruation) refers to the menstrual blood, the days of the monthly period or the place where the menstrual blood comes from.
"Therefore keep away from women during menses"
These are the Words of the Creator of the universe.
Dear brother, there are many diseases non-Muslims suffer from, like the cervix cancer, while this disease is rare in the Muslim world. One of the causes of the cervix cancer is having sexual relation during menstruation. Also, the retroverted uterus does not afflict Muslim women, because the treatment of that disease is practicing some physical exercises which are like the movements of Salah (kneeling and prostration). Thus, we are saved from many diseases when we adhere to our religion and to the Shari'ah, and when we remain obedient to Allah the Almighty.
"They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore keep away from women during menses and go not unto them…"
The husband can enjoy physical intimacy with his wife above her navel.
((Zaid Bin Aslam narrated that a man questioned the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying, "What is lawful for me to do with my wife when she is menstruating?" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Let her wrap her waist-wrapper round herself tightly, and then what is above that is your concern".))
When a woman has her menstrual period, she can sleep with her husband, and he can enjoy physical intimacy with her above her navel. He can eat with her, and he can have direct contact with her without approaching the place of menstruation.
Menstrual bleeding, postpartum bleeding, and Istihadah
Allah the Almighty says:
"And go not unto them till they have purified (from menses and have taken a bath)."
Actually, Fuqaha' (Islamic jurisprudents) have different opinions regarding the minimum and the maximum periods of menstruation, but they agree that the minimum period lasts for three days, while the maximum one lasts for fifteen days.
Islamic Scholars said that the woman's vagina secretes three kinds of blood: the menstrual blood whose color is dark, the postpartum blood and the Istihadah blood. The menstrual blood is secreted during the days of the monthly period, color of the Istihadah blood is light, and it can be secreted from a vein in the uterus. Therefore, the woman who has Istihadah should perform ablution for each prayer. As for the meaning of the postpartum bleeding, you all know it; it is the bleeding which happens after birth. The maximum period of the postnatal bleeding is 40 or 60 days (as it is mentioned in the Schools of Thought), while the minimum period is not specified.
"They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore keep away from women during menses and go not unto them till they have purified (from menses and have taken a bath). "
"till they have purified" means until the blood stops.
Sexual intercourse is allowed only in the vagina
Allah the Almighty says:
"And when they have purified themselves, then go in unto them as Allah has ordained for you (go in unto them in any manner as long as it is in their vagina)."
Purifying themselves means when they take a bath after the menstrual blood stops."And when they have purified themselves, then go in unto them as Allah has ordained for you (go in unto them in any manner as long as it is in their vagina). "
"go in unto them" is euphemism for sexual intercourse.
"as Allah has ordained for you"
Which means go in unto them in any manner as long as it is in the vagina.
"Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves (by taking a bath and cleaning and washing thoroughly their private parts, bodies, for their prayers, etc.)."
When Prophet Lout, may Allah have peace upon him, forbade his people from committing homosexual acts, they said mockingly:
"These are indeed men who want to be pure (from sins)!"
"Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance"
Some Scholars said that ''this Ayah means that Allah the Almighty loves those who follow His Orders…''
" and loves those who purify themselves ".
And that ''He loves those who never commit sodomy with their wives like the people of Prophet Lout, may Allah have peace upon him, used to do.''
Sexual intercourse in other than the vagina is completely prohibited
Dear brother, we should deeply understand the meaning of these Ayat, because some people claim that Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy upon him, permitted the anal intercourse, while he strongly disapproved that when he was alive.
"Your wives are a tilth for you, "
The word 'tilth' means the proper place for sowing (i.e. to have a child), is there another place from which women give birth to their children?!
"Your wives are a tilth for you, "
There are many Noble As7adeth which completely prohibited the anal intercourse
"Your wives are a tilth for you, so go to your tilth (have sexual relations with your wives in any manner as long as it is in the vagina and not in the anus) when or how you will)"
"When and how you will" refers to the time, place, and manner. In other words, you can have sexual relation with your wives in any manner, at any place and at any time provided that it is in the place of sowing; in the vagina, and that's all.
These words are precise and obvious:
"Your wives are a tilth for you, so go to your tilth (have sexual relations with your wives in any manner as long as it is in the vagina and not in the anus) when or how you will)"
If you want to learn more about the Islamic ruling concerning such matters, you can go back to the books of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). There is no need to go into more details unless it is necessary to do so.
Marriage should be a means of performing righteous deeds
I ask Allah the Almighty to grant me success in explaining in details the following Ayah. Almighty Allah says:
"And send (good deeds, or ask Allah to bestow upon you pious offspring) before you for your own selves."
The believer should not only intend for sensual pleasure by marriage, or ignore giving birth to a righteous child who makes Du'a for him after his death, a righteous child for whom he will be rewarded in the Hereafter, or a child who will be a means of continuation of his good deeds. Allah the Almighty says:
"And send (good deeds, or ask Allah to bestow upon you pious offspring) before you for your own selves."
Do not just seek the sensual pleasure by marriage, i.e. when the believer wants to have sex with his wife, he does that with the intention of asking Allah to grant him a righteous child who will make Du'a for him after his death. This Ayah has many meanings, one of which is to send goodness before you by your marriage. When someone wants to marry, he should look for the righteous wife "who obeys him if he gives her a command, pleases him if he looks at her, is true to him if he adjures her to do something, and is sincere towards him regarding her person and his property if he is absent." This virtuous woman will be the mother of your children. The righteous child is the greatest gain of man, so when he chooses a righteous mother for his future children, he sends goodness before him. Allah the Almighty says:
"And send (good deeds, or ask Allah to bestow upon you pious offspring) before you for your own selves."
It is mentioned in some of the books of the interpretation of the Noble Qur'an that the meaning of "send before you" is that when the husband wants to have sexual intercourse with his wife, he should say first: (O Allah, keep Satan away from me, and keep Satan away from that with which You bless me).' Then if they have a child while they keep making this Du'a with pure souls, Allah will never allow Satan to have control over him or he will never harm him. I am pretty sure that if a Muslim keeps making this Du'a before having sex with his wife, the child they will have will be a righteous one. In some cases, a father has a morally deviated and disobedient child who makes his life miserable maybe because he forgot to say that Du'a.
"And send (good deeds, or ask Allah to bestow upon you pious offspring) before you for your own selves."
It means make marriage a means of performing righteous deeds. There are too many ways to get closer to Allah the Almighty, these ways are as many as the breaths of all creatures. One of them is to beget a virtuous child who benefits people after your death.
The believer's marriage is a source of delight and is a message
Dear brother, most of families have children, so every parent should know that when he cares a lot about his child and brings him up properly; takes care of his mind, body, faith and morals and teaches him to obey Allah the Almighty, to love His Prophet, peace be upon him, to love the Prophet's family, and to reauthor the Noble Qur'an, this child will become the greatest fruit of his marriage. On the other hand, most people get married driven by their sexual motives and desires. Fulfilling such desires does not hinder you from getting closer to Allah the Almighty, but the real success is to marry with the intention of performing righteous deeds. Consider the following Ayah which is related to Hajj, but also it could be applied to marriage: Allah the Almighty says:
"If you are suffering (hardships) then surely, they (too) are suffering (hardships) as you are suffering, but you have a hope from Allah (for the reward, i.e. Paradise) that for which they hope not."
Which means whoever wants to marry will face considerable hardship, such as finding a house, furnishing it, affording the costs of marriage; wedding, jewelry and providing furniture for the house. His income may be limited, there might be a housing crisis, he may earn a little that does not enough to meet the many demands. Let alone that life is difficult and complicated, so he suffers a lot. However, the believer's suffering is accompanied with having hope in Allah to grant him righteous sons and daughters, while disbelievers do not have such hope. The disbeliever's sole intention in his marriage is to enjoy himself, while the believer intends to enjoy himself and to carry out his important task. The home of the real Muslim should be a distinguished one in which Islamic principles are applied, and parents raise their children properly according to the Islamic teachings, so that the child who grows up in a real Muslim home should have outstanding characteristics.
"And send (good deeds, or ask Allah to bestow upon you pious offspring) before you for your own selves."
Which means send a righteous deed by your marriage, present a good deed, look for a virtuous wife who will help you raise your children properly, and seek achieving a noble aim in your sexual relation with your wife which raises your rank before Allah in the Hereafter.
Other Scholars said that the husband and his wife should not have their sexual relation directly exactly like animals without any foreplay. Thus, this Noble Ayah indicates that there should be foreplay which is suitable for human beings, because whoever ignores the foreplay will be just like animals. This meaning is derived from the following Noble Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
"And send (good deeds, or ask Allah to bestow upon you pious offspring) before you for your own selves."
There should be a nice word, a sense of intimacy and a smile as foreplay for the human sexual intercourse. The other meaning is that this sexual relation should lead to a righteous deed which continues after his death ; begetting a righteous child who will call people to Allah after his death.
Man should abide by Allah's Orders and Prohibitions
Dear brother, let's discuss the following matter which is related to the question mentioned in the Noble Ayah below:
"They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore keep away from women during menses"
Which means when man acts upon the Order of Allah in his life, he will reap the fruit of his adherence even though he never comprehends the deep wisdom behind this. Taking advantage of something is not related to understanding its mechanism. To illustrate this point, consider the following example which I mention frequently. An illiterate man who has an air conditioner in his room can simply presses the key if he wants to get cold air, so he has the ability to make use of this electronic device without knowing about its complicated mechanism. Similarly, the one who has got a PhD. in air-conditioning also presses the key in order to get cold air. Hence, the latter benefits from this conditioner, and he is fully aware of its mechanism, whereas the former benefits from it although he is totally ignorant of its mechanism.
Whenever the Salaf (righteous predecessors) knew that something is Haram, they used to abstain from doing it at once. As they used to do that, they were pleased in this worldly life, and they will be pleased in the Hereafter. On the other hand, if a highly educated man comprehends the wisdom of Allah's Orders and Prohibitions, but he never abides by them, he will pay a heavy price for that. Thus, the main thing is that man should adheres to Allah's Orders and Prohibitions.
I mentioned earlier today a subtle point; that every problem in our life is inevitably caused by disobeying Allah's Orders. I also stated that one of the rules of discovering the crime and its causes is to look for the female, as some officers at the Criminal Security Department say that behind every crime there is a woman. We can modify this rule and say that when you look into any problem which afflicts our society these days, you should look for a sin, because sins are the cause of every problem people face nowadays. It seems that the human body is designed to live for a long healthy life with regard to the body, soul and heart, but the diseases which come from here and there and afflict him, and the problems he faces in all the affairs of his life, are caused by ignoring Allah's Orders and Prohibitions.
The main cause of every problem is disobeying Allah
The following words could be considered as a rule: the main cause of every problem in the world is a sin, and the main cause for every sin is ignorance (of Allah's Orders). Ignorance is man's worst enemy, and the ignorant man can cause more harm to himself than his enemy. Shari'ah is available for every one of you to get acquainted with, so if you try to analyze any marital, commercial, economic, social, psychological or scientific problem which people have, you will find that the only reason for it is violating the Divine Method of Allah the Almighty. Actually, the Noble Qur'an which we all reauthor is the great method, the straight path and the firm Rope of Allah the Almighty.
"They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore keep away from women during menses"
What can we deduce from these noble Ayat? We mistakenly think that Islam is mere acts of worship, like fasting, performing Hajj and paying Zakah, while in fact Islam contains so many subjects; it is a comprehensive detailed method. You can notice how Shari'ah includes some rulings on the minute details of your relation with your wife. Therefore, when man seeks the Islamic knowledge, he protects himself. Imam Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "O my son, knowledge is better than wealth as knowledge guards you, while you have to guard the wealth. Also, the amount of money you have decreases when you spend it, while the value of your knowledge rises when you teach sh3er. O my son, people who accumulate wealth have dead hearts although they are still alive (they do not know Allah, nor do they worship him), while Islamic Scholars remain alive forever; they die, but they are alive in people's hearts."When you attend an Islamic lecture to learn some rulings of Shari'ah, you are investing your time to your own advantage, because whatever mistake you commit regarding your private matters with your wife will lead to disastrous consequences.
Man can be likened to the most complex machine in the world, and this machine has a Wise Maker (Allah the Almighty) Who has set the instructions of operating and maintenance. These instructions are manifested in the Ayat of the Noble Qur'an which are the first source of Islamic legislation, and the Noble Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, which is the second source of legislation and is the explanation and clarification of the Noble Qur'an. Being extremely concerned about himself (his safety, happiness, etc…), man should follow the Maker's instructions, so that he will be pleased and his rank before Allah will be raised.
Dear brother, you can go back to the Fiqh books to study this issue (marital relations) in details, as one may need to know these details when he wants to marry. Then Allah the Almighty says:
"Your wives are a tilth for you, so go to your tilth (have sexual relations with your wives in any manner as long as it is in the vagina and not in the anus), when or how you will, and send (good deeds, or ask Allah to bestow upon you pious offspring) before you for your own selves. And fear Allah "
Fear disobeying Allah the Almighty, His Wrath, His Punishment, and His Fire.
"And fear Allah, and know that you are to meet Him (in the Hereafter), and give good tidings to the believers (O Muhammad PBUH)."
In this Ayah, Allah mentioned a deterrent and a motive; the latter is Paradise while the former is the Hellfire. Above all, we should know for sure that Allah the Almighty is the All-Knower of everything.
Oaths destroys Barakah (Allah's Blessings)
Then Allah the Almighty says:
"And make not Allah's (Name) an excuse in your oaths against your doing good and acting piously, and making peace among mankind. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower (i.e. do not swear much and if you have sworn against doing something good then give an expiation for the oath and do good)."
Which means when man makes an oath, in a moment of anger, not to visit his stepsister or his sister, then he finds that there is great goodness in visiting her, communicating with her, taking care of her, guiding her and advising her, he should break his oath and expiate for it, because it prevents him from performing good deeds. So, in this Ayah, Allah the Almighty says that if you take an oath which becomes an obstacle stands in your way of performing righteous deeds, then it is not a sinful act to break your oath and expiate for it in order to perform good deeds. This is really true because the purpose of man's existence in this worldly life is to perform righteous deeds. If you swear in a moment of anger not to do righteous deeds such as stop lending money to someone, visiting your brother or helping a friend, then later on you find that you are deprived of goodness because of that oath, what should you do? You should break your oath, perform righteous deeds and pay expiation for your oath. Do not make your oath a means of refraining you from performing righteous deeds.
"And make not Allah's (Name) an excuse in your oaths against your doing good and acting piously, and making peace among mankind. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower (i.e. do not swear much and if you have sworn against doing something good then give an expiation for the oath and do good)."
In one way or another, man shouldn't make oaths without reason, because Allah the Almighty says:
"And protect your oaths (i.e. do not swear much). "
Imam Abu Hanifah An-Nu'man, may Allah have mercy upon him, used to give a golden dinar as Sadaqah to expiate for each true oath he swore as a way of punishing himself. What about the false oath?!
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may peace be upon him, said:
((The swearing (by the seller) may persuade the buyer to purchase the goods but that will be deprived of Allah's blessing.)).
Nowadays, the majority of sellers swear a lot of oaths most of the time; the seller swears by his Lord, by his religion, by the Ka'bah, or by the Noble Qur'an that he sells you the goods by the value of its capital or even less than that. He does that in order to sell the goods, while these oaths destroy the Barakah or even the goods themselves. Therefore, man should have control over his tongue; he should not swear a lot, because the one who swears a lot accuses himself of being a liar. Accustom yourself to speak without swearing, as the one who listens to you should believe you without making you swear, otherwise you should not talk to him.
Man should not swear by other than Allah
It is really strange how swearing a lot of oaths becomes a very widespread habit among Muslims; they swear various oaths some of which are prohibited, like swearing by their own children! Whoever has to take an oath, should swear by Allah the Most Great. It is prohibited to swear by other than Allah, so you should only swear by Him.
Furthermore, you should not swear by Allah on silly everyday matters. Regarding swearing a false oath intentionally, Allah forbid, which is committed in order to deprive a Muslim of his property, it gets you out of Islam. Besides, there is no expiation for this deliberate false oath, because it drives the one who swears it out of Islam. After swearing this oath you have to embrace Islam again (bear witness that there is no one to be worshipped but Allah Alone and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) since you get out of Islam by this deliberate false oath and to turn to Allah with sincere repentance. Thus, whoever swears a false oath intentionally before a judge in order to deprive a Muslim of his money, he gets out of Islam. This deliberate false oath is not the subject of our lecture today; the Noble Ayat we ponder over in this lecture are related to the oath you swear, in a moment of anger, that you will not perform a good deed, such as abstaining from giving someone a piece of advice, helping someone, visiting your brother in faith, treating a patient, lending some money to a poor person and so on. So, if you swear an oath in such cases, then you find that it is good to break this oath, you should expiate for it and perform righteous deed. This is first meaning of the following Ayah:
"And make not Allah's (Name)…"
Which means this oath is an obstacle stands in your way of goodness. The purpose of man's existence is performing righteous and good deeds, so do not let this oath keep you away from goodness.
One of the Muslim's characters is making peace among people
Allah the Almighty says:
"against your doing good"
It means to perform good deeds."and acting piously,"
And stops at the limits set by Allah the Almighty.
"and making peace among mankind. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower (i.e. do not swear much and if you have sworn against doing something good then give an expiation for the oath and do good)."
Dear brother, one of the basic characteristics of the Muslim is making peace among people. Allah the Almighty says:
"So fear Allah and adjust all matters of difference among you "
And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
((The disease of the nations before you is creeping towards you: Envy and hatred, it is the Haliqah. I do not speak of what cuts the hair, but what severs the religion. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love each other. Shall I tell you about what will strengthen that for you? Spread the Salam (the greeting of peace) among each other.)).
So, making peace among people, obeying Allah and performing righteous deeds are some of the habitual activities of the believer. Allah the Almighty says:
"There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders Sadaqah (charity in Allah's Cause), or Ma'ruf (Islamic Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allah has ordained), or conciliation between mankind,"
One of the characteristics of the believer is bringing people together, he makes reconcile with each other, he never causes separation between people, drives a wedge between them or pulls them apart. It was narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"He is not one of us who causes separation between people."
Man will be held accountable for intentional oaths
If you swear an oath, in a moment of anger, that you will not perform a righteous deed, but you find later that you are deprived of doing good because of this oath, according to Allah's Order, you should not let this oath prevent you from doing good, but rather you should expiate for it and perform righteous deeds. Allah the Almighty says:
"Allah will not call you to account for that which is unintentional in your oaths, but He will call you to account for that which your hearts have earned. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Forbearing."
Actually, many people swear unintentional oaths. For example, someone may invite you to eat something, but you refuse his invitation kindly (thinking that you should not accept sh3er' invitations until they keep insisting on that), and you swear by Allah that you are not hungry or that you do not like this food while in fact you are extremely hungry. Some people are used to swearing these unintentional oaths. We ask Allah to forgive us for this kind of oaths, but it is far better to refrain from swearing like this.
"Allah will not call you to account for that which is unintentional in your oaths, but He will call you to account for that which your hearts have earned"
When man swears an oath deliberately and hides his bad intention, he will be called to a severe account on the Day of Judgment for that oath, and this false oath has very bad consequences.
Man was mainly created to perform righteous deed
Allah the Almighty says:
"Allah will not call you to account for that which is unintentional in your oaths, but He will call you to account for that which your hearts have earned. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Forbearing."
Your heart is the place where Allah the Almighty looks at. It was narrated in the relic that Allah the Almighty says: "O My Servant, you have taken care of your external appearance, the place where people look at, for many years. Why do not you purify your heart, the place where I look at, for just one hour!"It is your heart where Allah the Almighty looks at. He says:
"The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail,* Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifaq (hypocrisy)]."
"And make not Allah's (Name) an excuse in your oaths"
The purpose for which you were created is to perform righteous deeds. You should do that in all cases, even if you swear intentionally that you will not do good, you should expiate for this oath and perform good deed. Also, you should fear Allah, you should avoid disobeying Him and you should make peace between people. Verily, Allah knows well your moving about, and your place of rest (in your homes).As for the oaths which people take unintentionally during their daily conversations, we hope that there is no blame on us for them. However, Allah the Almighty will call us to account for the oaths we take deliberately, and when our intention does not please Allah the Almighty. He says in the following Noble Ayah:
"The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail,* Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifaq (hypocrisy)]."
If you turn to Allah in repentance, Allah the Almighty will forgive you because he is the Oft-Forgiving, but if you do not, He is the Most Forbearing; He will give you one chance after another to repent until the day of your death comes, and Allah the Almighty will take your soul.
